St. Louis — Panera Brands Inc., which includes the fast-casual and hospitality brand Panera Bread as well as Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Brands, has appointed long-time industry executive Paul Carbone as chief financial officer, effective August 15, 2023. He brings decades of operational, IPO and public company experience.
“I am excited for Paul to join the team as we continue to focus on long term value-creation for Panera Brands,” says José Alberto Dueñas, CEO of Panera Brands and Panera Bread. “Paul’s depth of knowledge and history of success across multiple industries, particularly in the restaurant space, and his dynamic leadership qualities make him an ideal partner as we take Panera Brands to the next level.”
Carbone joins Panera Brands with significant financial executive experience in the restaurant, consumer goods and retail industries, including spending 9 years at Dunkin’ Brands where he was CFO from 2012 until 2017. He also has been the CFO of YETI Holdings, Inc. and SharkNinja. Carbone will be based out of Panera Bread’s support center in Newton, Mass.
Panera Brands is one of the world’s largest fast-casual restaurant platforms, with 3,852 locations across 11 countries. Panera Brands is comprised of Panera Bread®, Caribou Coffee® and Einstein Bros. Brands. As of July 25, 2023, there were 2,140 Panera Bread bakery-cafes in 48 states (including the District of Columbia) and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread® or Saint Louis Bread Co.® names. Caribou Coffee has 769 coffeehouses in 11 countries. Einstein Bros. Brands, consisting of Einstein Bros. Bagels®, Bruegger’s Bagels®, Noah’s New York Bagels® and Manhattan Bagel®, operates 984 company-owned and licensed units across the U.S.
SOURCE: Panera Brands